


From Sorrow to Solace

by arihime



Series: Twin AU [12]
Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Angst, M/M, Self-Doubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-19 12:04:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8206588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arihime/pseuds/arihime
Summary: The revelation of the truth of the mark on his hand sends Narcissus into despair, but thankfully Chrom is there to set him straight.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt “Branded & Marked”
> 
> Let’s kick off Chrobin week with some mild angst, shall we? Big thanks to Abby (newmrsdewinter) for her help with the title.
> 
> Note: This fic follow my own personal headcanon for certain events, which are difference than those in the game.

Narcissus should have known that the mark on his hand meant something, and in a way he did, somewhere buried deep in the back of his mind. There was always a sense of foreboding that entered him whenever he thought of the mark, and that coupled with Aislin’s complete refusal to speak about it was enough to convince Narcissus that maybe he was better off not knowing.

But now, with Aislin’s tearful confession laying everything out in the open, there is no way he can ignore it anymore.

He is a Grimleal—no, worse than that, he is Grima’s vessel, the one who could bring destruction to the whole world. Narcissus thinks of the cloaked figure that stood next to Validar and shudders. That had been _himself,_ what he could become. What he is. There are only so many points of divergence, after all.

What will happen, that leads Narcissus to becoming the Fell Dragon?

He could spend hours thinking about the possibilities, and indeed he does. Narcissus is a tactician, after all; part of his job is to think of the possibilities and prepare for them. And maybe if he prepares, maybe then he can keep himself from becoming a monster.

Narcissus is so deep in thought that he doesn’t notice when someone pulls the tent flap open. He only realizes it when he sees a flash of blue hair in the corner of his vision.

For one, horrifying moment, he thinks that Chrom has come to kill him. That would be the easiest way to keep any future tragedy from coming to pass, after all. Kill the vessel before Grima can be reborn.

But no, Chrom looks pale and worn, too tired to kill anything. It’s hard to believe that only a few hour have passed since the meeting with Validar. To Narcissus, it feels like a lifetime.

As tired as Chrom looks, his eyes are sharp when they land on Narcissus, and there is purpose in his step when he comes closer. They need to talk about what happened, Narcissus knows this, but it’s not really a conversation he wants to have. 

He blurts out the one thing he knows will distract Chrom.

“How is Aislin?”

Narcissus realizes the question isn’t just a distraction the second it leaves his mouth. He hasn’t seen Aislin since the revelation, where she refused look at him. She is his twin sister, and yet he has never felt farther from her than he does in this moment. It’s almost funny. Before, he’d thought that knowing the truth about everything would bring them closer together, but now he knows how wrong he was.

Chrom sighs and runs a hand through his hair, dropping into a seat across from Narcissus.

“She’s resting, finally.” He says. “I had Frederick stay with her though, just in case. Gods, I’ve never seen her so upset before.”

Upset isn’t really the word for it. Aislin had been hysterical, and even after she had calmed down, there was so much despair and fear in her that Narcissus had felt it as his own.

He finally understands the burden that his sister has been carrying all these years. The truth is a weight Narcissus isn’t sure he will be able to bear, even though it is his secret in the first place. 

Narcissus is torn up about how to feel about being kept in the dark. On one hand, he is grateful to Aislin for shielding him, but on the other, he is angry. She had no right to keep him ignorant about something so important, so integral to who he is. And yet, if he had known, Narcissus isn’t sure he could have continued on the way he had. Gods, he feels like such a fool for all the times he smiled and told Aislin not to worry when they faced off against the Grimleal. She— they—had every reason to worry.

“Narcissus?”

He jerks upon hearing his name. He’d almost forgotten Chrom was there. 

“How are you holding up?”

A platitude springs to Narcissus’ lips instantly, and it is only the serious look on Chrom’s face that keeps him from saying it out loud. 

He shakes his head. “I—I don’t know.” How is someone supposed to react when their whole world changes? “I knew Ash was hiding something, but I didn’t think it would be anything like this.” Narcissus traces the mark on his hand absentmindedly. “I didn’t think this would be. . .”

No, all the signs were there. He just didn’t want to put them together.

“I guess I can’t be part of the Shepherds anymore.”

“What? Why?”

“Because of this.” Narcissus waves his palm around. “You know what it means. How can I be a Shepherd knowing what this means?” _How can you let me be a Shepherd?_

“That doesn’t mean anything.” Chrom says, sitting up in his chair. “You think it makes you different from the rest of us? You’re wrong. And anyway, how is this—” he pats the Brand of the Exalt on his shoulder “—any different from that? We’re both touched by the gods, and we both have the marks to prove it. If anything, that makes us more similar.”

He reaches for Narcissus’ hand, where Grima’s mark lies, but Narcissus yanks it away and stand, violently enough that his chair tumbles to the ground behind him.

“How can you say that?!” He demands. “I’m the vessel for the Fell Dragon, the bringer of destruction. I’m practically the embodiment of everything we’ve been fighting against. But you, you’re Naga’s chosen.”

He japes a finger at Chrom’s shoulder. “That’s a symbol for peace. _You’re_ a symbol for peace. And this is—I’m—” He can’t even bring himself to say the words.

Narcissus hangs his head, unwilling to look at Chrom now. He curls his hand into a fist hard enough that his nails bite into his palm. 

“We’re complete opposites, you and I.”

Chrom’s reply is immediate. “No, I don’t think so.”

“What? But I’m—”

“You’re Narcissus.” Chrom says firmly. “You’re the man who has stood by me and fought beside me for years. You are not defined by some mark on your hand, some chance that you could be something, just as I’m not solely defined by this brand.” He stands and stalks closer to Narcissus. “You make your own future, Narcissus, and the person that I know is kind and strong and willing to help anyone. Don’t let a stupid tattoo change that. The future isn’t set in stone, do you understand me? We can change it, and we will, together.”

“But—”

“No buts, Narcissus. No doubts. We’ve gotten this far because you’ve always been sure of yourself. Don’t start doubting yourself now. That’s probably what Grima wants. Don’t forget who you are.”

That’s just the thing though; Narcissus doesn’t know who he is anymore. He thought he was a tactician, a member of the Shepherds, but now this new identity is swirling around in his head, clouding his judgment. He wants to believe Chrom’s words more than anything in the world, but he can’t—

A hand drops onto Narcissus’ shoulder and squeezes, startling him. When he looks up, it is to find Chrom directly in front of him, eyes boring into Narcissus’.

“Don’t forget.” He repeats. “You are Narcissus, not Grima. You’ll never be Grima, understand? You’re too strong for that.”

Reluctantly, Narcissus nods. “Alright.” If becoming Grima means destroying the world and killing everyone he loves, then Narcissus would rather die first. He refuses to let things get that far.

He is not Grima. He is himself, not some vessel for the Fell Dragon. Since he woke up in the field, the mark on his hand has never been anything other than an odd looking tattoo. It has not defined who he is, and Narcissus refuses to let it define him now.

The whole world is counting on him, after all.

“Yeah,” he says, voice stronger this time. “You’re right, Chrom. I guess I was being pretty stupid, wasn’t I?”

“No. You were being yourself. You wouldn’t be our master tactician if you didn’t consider all the possibilities, after all. This time though, you just needed a second opinion.”

Chrom chuckles slightly at his own words, suddenly looking so care free that Narcissus remembers why he fell in love with him in the first place. Why he still loves him, for this ability to welcome and understand even those who should be his greatest enemies. Because Narcissus knows that’s what he is, deep down, even though he refuses to become Grima.

It doesn’t— Okay, well, it still matters, but not as much as it did before. Strange as it sounds, Narcissus has more important concerns than the Fell blood in his veins, and they all have to do with the man standing in front of him. With Plegia’s aid, the Shepherds can finally take the fight to Valm, and Narcissus will be damned if he lets Chrom ride off to war without his master tactician at his side.

They will step onto the battlefield together, branded and marked.


End file.
